1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to puzzles and games. More specifically, the present invention relates to a puzzle or amusement device incorporating cubical pieces constructed in such a manner that one piece may be inserted into another by means of a protruding locking mechanism. The cubical pieces are provided with square holes on the center of 5 faces and have a square locking protrusion extending from the center of the 6th face. When the locking protrusion is inserted into a hole of a like piece it becomes locked in place and cannot be removed. By inserting another piece into the same piece the first piece was inserted into it is possible to remove the first piece or the 2nd piece, but not both simultaneously, from the piece that each of the 2 pieces were inserted into. In the present embodiment such selective unlocking only occurs if the 2 inserted pieces are inserted at right angles to one another and the locking protrusions are correctly oriented so that their respective release mechanisms can be selectively activated by pushing in the piece not being released and pulling out the piece being released.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Prior inventions relate to structures such as Rubik's cube and the 15 puzzle invented by Sam Loyd and to various locking puzzles. The present invention presents a new challenge by allowing independent clusters of pieces to be completely separated from one another yet a full solution requires the independent locked structures to be combined and recombined to finally arrive at an overall solution of one or more shapes incorporating all the pieces of the puzzle. In addition it is possible to color or mark the faces and require the solution to present matching or other combinations of the colors or marks. Pieces should always be inserted so that at least one other piece can be released but in case of a mistake a piece can be released with the aid of a pencil or small rod.